Parliamentary Form of Government

<–2/”>a >Parliamentary form of government is the System of Government in which there exists an intimate and harmonious relationship between the executive and the legislative departments, and the stability and efficacy of the executive department depend on the legislature.Its a system of government in which the power to make and execute laws is held by a parliament.

Although the parliamentary government is broadly defined in the above way, in such a system the supremacy of the legislature has now been replaced by the supremacy of the Cabinet. Hence, such form of government is also called Cabinet Government.

In a Parliamentary form of government, the head of the state is usually a different person than the head of the government. A Monarch or a President is usually the head of the state. However, he or she is the head of state, but not the head of government. The functions of the head of the state is chiefly formal or ceremonial. The council of ministers or the cabinet exercises the real executive powers and authority to run the Government. In many countries, the Prime Minister is the the head of the council of ministers.

The Parliamentary or the Cabinet system originated in England. This form of government exists in countries like Britain, India and Canada. This Parliamentary form of government is also called Responsible Government.

Features

The features of Parliamentary form of Government has been discussed below:

Existence of a Titular or Constitutional Ruler: The first characteristic feature of the parliamentary system is the existence of a Titular of Constitutional Ruler. Legally the administration of all the affairs of the state is conducted by the head of the state. In reality, however, the administration is carried by the Council of Ministers. The Monarch or the President, as the case may be, is the head of the state, but not the head of the government.

Absence of Separation of Powers: In the parliamentary system the principle of separation of powers is not adopted. Here the three departments of government work in close, intimate contact, sharing some of the powers and functions of one another.

Main Role of the Lower House in Ministry-formation: In the parliamentary government the lower house of the legislature, i.e., the popular chamber plays a vital role in the formation of the ministry. The leader of the party or alliance which wins the majority in this house is appointed the Prime Minister or Chancellor. The constitutional ruler appoints the other members of the ministry on his advice.

Responsibility to the Legislature: In such a system the Cabinet or Ministry has to remain responsible to the legislature for all its activities and policies. In countries having bi-cameral legislatures, the Cabinet remains responsible to the lower house composed of the people’s representatives.

Collective Responsibility: The ministerial responsibility to the legislature may again be of two kinds:

Individual responsibility, andCollective responsibility.

Individual responsibility means that the minister in charge of a department must be answerable for the activities of his department. But when the ministers remain jointly or collectively responsible to the legislature for the policies and activities of the government, it is called ‘collective responsibility’. Since no individual minister can unilaterally perform any business of government without the Consent of the Cabinet, the entire Ministry or Cabinet has to remain accountable for the errors of the minister concerned.

Intimate relationship between the Legislature and the Executive: In the parliamentary system an intimate relationship exists between the executive and the legislative departments. So they can easily control each other. The leaders of the majority party or alliance in the legislature become the members of the Cabinet or Ministry. Naturally, the ministers can easily extend their influence on the legislature. Consequently, the programs and policies of the Cabinet are backed by a majority inside the legislature.

Leadership of the Prime Minister: The leadership of the Prime Minister is another major feature of the parliamentary system. The leader of the majority party in the legislature becomes the Prime Minister. Though, in theory, he is ‘primus inter pares’, i.e. ‘first among equals’, in reality, he possesses much greater power and status than the other ministers. As the undisputed leader of the majority party or alliance in the legislature he plays the most vital role in the determination and execution of government policies. Indeed, the success of parliamentary Democracy depends, to a great extent, on the Personality, efficiency and charisma of the Prime Minister.

Existence of a Strong Opposition: The existence of one or more strong and well-organized opposition party or parties is the hall-mark of the parliamentary system. By criticizing the errors of the government, the opposition can compel it to adopt welfare measures and prevent it from becoming despotic. Judged from this angle, the opposition can be called the life-force of parliamentary democracy.

Cabinet Dictatorship: In the parliamentary system of government the cabinet has to perform manifold functions.

It is the Cabinet which:

formulates well-considered policies of the Government after reviewing both the national and international issues,takes necessary, arrangements for passing laws to implement the policies formulated by it,determines the matters to be included in the agenda of the central legislature,controls and directs the administrative departments so that laws, Government orders, etc. are to be implemented properly,co-ordinates the activities of different departments of the Government,prepares the draft budget in consultation with the Prime Minister and takes necessary initiative to get it passed in the legislature,formulates economic policies and takes necessary steps for implementing the same,advice’s the constitutional head to take necessary action during emergency or unforeseen situation, etc.In this way the Cabinet acts as ‘the keystone of the political arch’ or has become the ‘steering wheel of the ship of the state’. In fact, in the parliamentary system of government as the cabinet members are the leaders of the majoity party or alliance in the legislature. Some critics think that the Parliament is controlled by the Cabinet under the leadership of the Prime Minister giving rise to some sort of “Cabinet dictatorship”.

Advantages :

The Parliamentary form of Government offers a lot of: advantages. The close cooperation between the executive and the legislative organs leades to smooth functioning of government and avoids unnecessary confrontation between them. These two organs work as mutually complementary to each other.

The responsibility of the government ensures an open administration. The executive, conscious of its responsibility to remain responsible for all its actions and to answer the question of the legislature relating to administration to their satisfaction always tries to remain alert, because this influences its electoral prospects. The more the mistake the less the chance of popular support in the election.

The system is flexible. Flexibility is an asset in any system as it provides room for adjustment. The parliamentary form of government is highly adaptive to changing situation. For example in times of grave emergency the leadership can be changed without any hassles, to tackle the situations as it happened during II World War in England. Mr. Chamberlain made way for Mr. Winston Churchil to handle the war. Even the election can be deferred till normalcy is restored. Such flexibility in the system does not exist in Presidential form of government which is highly rigid.

Under this system it is easier to locate responsibility for the lapses in administration. There is a vast body of civil servants who constitute the permanent executive. In fact they help the political masters to formulate policies of administration and their implementation. But it is the political leadership or the cabinet who takes the responsibility for everything in administration. Therefore it is said that the Bureaucracy thrives under the cloak of ministerial responsibility.

A great merit of the system, as painted by Lord Bryce, if its swiftness in DECISION MAKING. The executive can take any decision and quickly implement that without any hindrance. Since the party in power enjoys majority support in the legislature it can act freely without the fear of being let down.

Disadvantages:

However no system is completely foolproof. Advantages and disadvantages are part of any system irrespective of its soundness. Under this system the Liberty of the people are at a stake as the executive and legislative organs of the government work in close collaboration. This greatly affects the principle of separation of powers. In view of the legislative support and the formidable power at its disposal the cabinet virtually becomes dictatorial. It becomes whimsical in exercising its power without caring for liberty of the people.

Politicization of administration is another demerit of the system. Political consideration in policy formulation and implementation outweigh popular interest. In other words people’s interest suffers at the cost of political considerations. The leadership of the party by virtue of powers it enjoys mobilizes the administration to strengthen the party prospects in the election.

The same can be said of the opposition parties who oppose the party in power for political considerations. They hardly show interest in the activities of the government and offer constructive criticism.

Prof. Dicey points out another serious lacuna in the system. According to him the executive under a parliamentary system fails to take quick decision at the time of any crisis or war. The members of the cabinet always are not unanimous on all problems. The Prime Minister discusses with his colleagues in the cabinet and ultimately prevails over them to take unanimous decision. This is different from the Presidential system where he takes the decision himself and implements that.

This system is unsuitable in countries with more than two parties. Usually in a multi party system the electorate fail to support a particular party in the election as a result of that there is hardly any party which gets majority votes. This leads to instability, chaos and confusion in selecting a party or a leader to form the government. As we observe the large number of Political Parties in India have contributed to political instability. Countries like Great Britain do not demonstrate such state of affairs as dual party system is the true basis of parliamentary democracy.

A criticism leveled against the Parliamentary system is that the government is run by the novice, ‘without any administrative training, skill or background. They are elected from social field and therefore depend heavily on the civil servants for formulation and implementation of policies. The bureaucrats under the system assume greater authority and consolidate their own position to use their political masters as mere tools.

Our constitution provides for parliamentary form of government. We have borrowed the constitutional features of several democratic countries. But our parliamentary model is predominantly based on the British system. The Head of Government in our system, the Prime Minister, can hold office only so long as he commands the confidence of the Lok Sabha. Confidence of the House is reflected in existence/continuance of majority support – whether it be of a single party or of a coalition of parties. This feature can, and does, cause instability in governance. In Presidential democracies, the Head of Government, the President is directly elected by the people and cannot be removed from office except in circumstances of high crimes and misdemeanour established through impeachment process. Hence, Presidential democracies provide stable governance. In our parliamentary system, we have had changes of government through mid term Elections or political realignments. Changes in government undoubtedly bring about disruptions in implementation of policies, development programmes and schemes.

A parliamentary system is a system of government in which the executive branch derives its democratic legitimacy from the legislature, to which it is accountable. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is the prime minister, who is usually the leader of the largest party in the legislature. The prime minister and cabinet are collectively responsible to the legislature, and can be removed from office by a vote of no confidence.

The head of state in a parliamentary system is usually a monarch or president, who is a largely ceremonial figure. The monarch or president is appointed by the legislature, and serves for a fixed term. The monarch or president has limited powers, and is not involved in the day-to-day running of the government.

The cabinet is a group of ministers who are responsible for different areas of government. The cabinet is appointed by the prime minister, and is responsible to the legislature. The cabinet meets regularly to discuss government policy, and to make decisions on behalf of the government.

Parliament is the supreme legislative body in a parliamentary system. Parliament is made up of elected representatives, who are usually called members of parliament (MPs). MPs are elected by the people, and represent the interests of their constituents. Parliament is responsible for making laws, approving the government’s budget, and overseeing the government’s activities.

The Electoral System is the system used to elect members of parliament. The most common electoral system in parliamentary systems is the First-Past-The-Post System. In this system, the candidate with the most votes in each constituency is elected.

The legislative process is the process by which laws are made in a parliamentary system. The legislative process begins with the introduction of a bill by a member of parliament. The bill is then debated by parliament, and is voted on. If the bill is passed, it is sent to the monarch or president for approval. If the bill is approved, it becomes law.

Parliamentary Sovereignty is the principle that parliament is the supreme law-making body in a parliamentary system. Parliament can make any law it wants, and no other body can overturn its laws.

Responsible government is the principle that the government is accountable to the legislature. The government must have the support of the majority of the members of parliament, or it will be removed from office.

The opposition is the group of MPs who do not support the government. The opposition is responsible for holding the government to account, and for proposing alternative policies.

Parliamentary Committees are groups of MPs who are responsible for examining specific areas of government policy. Parliamentary committees can hold hearings, and can call government ministers to account.

Parliamentary privilege is the right of parliament to protect its members from legal action for things they say or do in parliament. Parliamentary privilege is necessary to ensure that parliament can debate issues without fear of legal reprisal.

Parliamentary reform is the process of changing the way parliament works. Parliamentary reform can be used to make parliament more democratic, more efficient, or more accountable.

Parliamentary systems are used in many countries around the world, including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and India. Parliamentary systems are often seen as being more democratic than other systems of government, because the government is accountable to the people.

Here are some frequently asked questions and short answers about the topics of democracy, republic, and Monarchy:

Democracy

What is democracy?
Democracy is a form of government in which the people hold power. This can be done through Direct Democracy, in which the people vote on laws and policies directly, or through representative democracy, in which the people elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf.
What are the benefits of democracy?
Democracy has many benefits, including:
- It allows for the participation of all citizens in government.
- It promotes Equality and Justice.
- It protects individual rights and freedoms.
- It encourages debate and discussion.
- It leads to better government decisions.
What are the challenges of democracy?
Democracy also has some challenges, including:
- It can be slow and inefficient.
- It can be difficult to reach consensus on decisions.
- It can be vulnerable to Corruption.
- It can be difficult to protect minority rights.

Republic

What is a republic?
A republic is a form of government in which the country is led by elected representatives and not by a monarch.
What are the benefits of a republic?
Republics have many benefits, including:
- They are more stable than monarchies.
- They are more accountable to the people.
- They are more likely to protect individual rights.
- They are more likely to be democratic.
What are the challenges of a republic?
Republics also have some challenges, including:
- They can be unstable.
- They can be corrupt.
- They can be inefficient.
- They can be difficult to govern.

Monarchy

What is a monarchy?
A monarchy is a form of government in which a single person, the monarch, holds all or most of the power.
What are the benefits of a monarchy?
Monarchies have some benefits, including:
- They can provide stability and continuity.
- They can be a symbol of national unity.
- They can provide a focus for national identity.
- They can be a source of national pride.
What are the challenges of a monarchy?
Monarchies also have some challenges, including:
- They can be undemocratic.
- They can be hereditary, which means that power is passed down from one generation to the next, regardless of merit.
- They can be corrupt.
- They can be inefficient.
- They can be difficult to govern.

Sure, here are some MCQs on the topics of the separation of powers, the Rule of Law, and checks and balances:

Which of the following is not a branch of government?
(A) The executive branch
(B) The legislative branch
(C) The judicial branch
(D) The military branch
Which of the following is the primary function of the executive branch?
(A) To make laws
(B) To enforce laws
(C) To interpret laws
(D) To review laws
Which of the following is the primary function of the legislative branch?
(A) To make laws
(B) To enforce laws
(C) To interpret laws
(D) To review laws
Which of the following is the primary function of the judicial branch?
(A) To make laws
(B) To enforce laws
(C) To interpret laws
(D) To review laws
Which of the following is an example of a check and balance?
(A) The president can veto laws passed by Congress.
(B) The Supreme Court can declare laws unconstitutional.
(C) The Senate can confirm presidential appointments.
(D) All of the above.
Which of the following is not an example of the rule of law?
(A) Everyone is subject to the law, including the government.
(B) The law is applied equally to everyone.
(C) The law is fair and just.
(D) The law is constantly changing.
Which of the following is an example of the separation of powers?
(A) The president is the head of the executive branch, the speaker of the House is the head of the legislative branch, and the chief justice of the Supreme Court is the head of the judicial branch.
(B) The president can veto laws passed by Congress, but Congress can override a veto with a two-thirds majority vote.
(C) The Supreme Court can declare laws unconstitutional, but Congress can pass new laws or amend the Constitution.
(D) All of the above.
Which of the following is an example of checks and balances?
(A) The president can veto laws passed by Congress, but Congress can override a veto with a two-thirds majority vote.
(B) The Supreme Court can declare laws unconstitutional, but Congress can pass new laws or amend the Constitution.
(C) The president can appoint judges to the Supreme Court, but the Senate must confirm those appointments.
(D) All of the above.
Which of the following is not an example of a fundamental right?
(A) The right to free speech
(B) The right to bear arms
(C) The right to vote
(D) The right to a fair trial
Which of the following is an example of a civil right?
(A) The right to free speech
(B) The right to bear arms
(C) The right to vote
(D) The right to a fair trial